We Had A Lot Of Help.

The Expedition65 crew developed the plan for this adventure. but we were smart enough to get expert help when we had the opportunity. We would all be remiss if we did not recognize the amazing contribution of our friends in South America. And we would have been lost – literally – without them.

Colombia

This is a beautiful country that has been officially at war with the FARC rebel group since La Violencia in 1948. Though a ceasefire was signed in 2016, there are still a lot of jungley places that should be avoided; especially by a group of riders who are used to just heading off-road into the wilderness. We were lucky enough to be helped by Luis Alejandro Reyes the owner of Adventures57. Luis provides training and tours to all corners of Colombia from their base in Bogota and he provided a recommended route and tons of helpful advice and then set us up with his friends to see places we would otherwise not have seen. In addition, Miguel Ponce de Leon rode with us for a few days to launch us on our way. What a great way to start our ride along the continent.

Ecuador

Jorge Cherez and his friends in Ecuador have a motorcycle club they call The Brosters. The origin of the name is too complicated to go into here but these guys are amazing and connected and knowledgeable and hospitable and CRAZY beyond measure. They opened up their clubhouse for the most outrageous party of the trip and and escorted us around their amazing country. The night ride in Quito, the offroad trip around Chimborazo, food and friendship, too much to describe. The problem about having to leave Ecuador because the van was deported? Now that’s a story for another time.

Bolivia

Sergio Ballivian was born in La Paz, educated in the US and Canada, and splits his time between Bolivia and Boulder, Colorado. There are lots of streets and plazas in Bolivia named Ballivian, so I’m sure his ancestors played a role in the country’s history. A former member of the National Geographic photo department, he now runs Explore Bolivia, leading custom photo tours. Sergio constructed a route for us to see the wildest and toughest places in Bolivia, escorted us most of the way, and only lost his temper with us once over our willful disobedience and incompetence on the trail – and he was right to do so.

In all three of these countries we gained access to places and roads and homes and lives that would otherwise have been invisible to us. We were not tourists but guests of these gentlemen and their friends and that made the trip extra special for all of us.

They all left us with the final lasting impression that we had still barely scratched the surface of their countries. We will all definitely return to explore the rest and I hope we see these guys again and again.

Thanks to Alfonse Palaima for these photos:

– Jorge Cherez 

– Luis Alejandro Reyes and Miguel Ponce de Leon

– Sergio Ballivian 

#Expedition65 #Adventures57 #BMWBrosters #ExploreBolivia